The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-07-27
EopEs FOR THE FARMERS.
Some Considerations tiiat Tighten the
Hearts of the ACricu!turaliStS.

The time has come with the Southern
farmers when they see the necessity ot
abandoning old methods, and adopting
new ones; the introduction of horse
reapers, mowers, and plows that will ex'
pedite cultivation and economize labor,
Shows that we are in transition state;
preparing to reduce the area Of cotton
planting, and increase the area of grain,
clover, grass and other crops; in short,
we are fixing up for diversified farming.
This is what have been recommending
to all our farmers for the last fifteen
years in all my articles in The Southern
! Cultivator, ard other agricultural jour
nails. I an glad tc see the change has
begun, and il the near future, we will
see our Southern :arIns once more teem-
ing with fine crops Ct corn, wheat and
oats, as well as clover and grass, and
fine stock of all kinds Of our own raising,
making us as we should be, a seif~sup-
porting, prosperous set of farmers. We
have served too long G time at making
cotton, which has impoverished the
farmers and made rich the merchants
and cotton Grgs; let US now turn over
new leaf, and farm for our own good
and profit. we have the country, the
lands and the climate adapted to the
most diversified system of farming Of
any other country; all needed, is the
will, to make it $3.50 let II be so. Ag-
ricultural machinery is new to most OF
our Southern farmers, and especially to
the negro, the laborer we have mostly to
rely on; but still there are many OF them
! sufficiently intelligent with little train
+! ing to make them use them advantage
ously under the supervision Of the own
er. Our young farmers should drive
their own reapers and mowers; but with
old farmers who have not sons to use
them, they are dependent on hirelings,
but if possible they should be operated
under their supervision, for like all ma
chinery they must be used with judg-
roent and care. But when there is a
will, there is way, and grain and grass
crops Will soon teach Us the right way Of
using machinery. Some II or Is years
ago, before the cotton craze seized our
people, grain and grass was mostly the
cropa of this section Of country, but
then the cradle was the harvester; a few
reapers were being introduced at that
time; heavy cumbersome things, killing
to the animals that worked to them, and
many soon became wrecked from thelr
own ineticiency. So they did not take
with the farmers, being also high-priced;
they cost them from $50 to 500 with
out the moving attachment; they are
now made lighter, more easily handled,
and much cheaper; this is a great ad-
vantage, so more will be bought and
used. But some of our people ask,
Chow are we to get any money, II we
stop raising cotton and raise al grain,
grass and stock?" We don't tell you to
stop growing cotton altogether, We oaly
tell you TO plant less cotton, and plant
more grain, and SOW grass and raise
stock, and feed yourselves, and have
some to spare to feed the city and VII
lage folks; and stop buying all your food
supplies from the observation-disclosures
farmers il the true sense Of the meaning
of the word, ard not merely cotton
planters, which means, 'sihe Eewers Of
wood, and drawers Of water"
expect three-fourths Of the people OF
the South, including farmers, are fed On
imported food. If that be so, can't We
he'll feed them, and make some money
that way, and if we did it, and reduced
the production of cotton, We would gel
more money for our cotton, and feed
ourselves and orr fellow citizens, and
have two strings to our bow instead OF
the one string, cotton-wont We be bet
ter off than exchanging our cotton crops
~ corn, -four and bacon? We have
t.;aa ~; = NO enough to convince any
sensible sels e man man that i. GAS the ruin Of our
farmers, and has reduced som. ~ "0leo.
poverty. Hence, am glad to see tnaO
farming South is in transit condition,
getting ready to discard the methods OF
the last fifteen or twenty years, and Tor
adopting new methods. Let the reaper
and the mower come fast and numerous
among US, for it is an evidence OF better
times coming; it portends the making OF
our own food supplies, and when that Is
done, farm mortgages will cease and We
shall once more become free men, and
unencumbered, and visit our towns and
cities as independent men, with no sus-
picions against US as debtors-merely
Eshewers Of wood, and drawers of water.
I look for good results to come out OF
the Interstate Convention Of farmers to
be held in Atlanta in August next, where
ell matters pertaining to the intesest and
welfare of the farmers and farming will
be fully discussed. Let each tell his ex-
perience and compare notes, and fine
exactly how we stand. It viii be an
assemblage of intelligent men represent
ing several States, and all parts OF each
State. They know exactly the condl-
ton of tie farms and farmers from their
respective localities, and can furnish cor
rect and reliable reports Of the condition
as it exists over a largearea of the South.
1t is to be hoped that every Southern
State will be well represented. Let all
the different kinds OF farmers be there;
the cotton planters, the rice planters,
the sugar planters, the grain and grass
farmers, the tobacco raisers, and truck
farmers and fruit growers, and all kinds
of farmers, and let US have big camp.
meeting, and class-meeting, and love
feast, and give IN our experience, and
compare notes, and learn how we stand
throughout the country. Suggestions
will be made among so Large a number
of intelligent farmers that must result III
good. JSo. Il. DENT.
Floyd county, Ga.
Is There q Cure for Consumption!
We answer unreservedly, yes! Ii the